Mohammed tops Milan owner names

MILAN, ITALY – The most popular name for small-business owners in Milan is now Mohammed, taking the first place over traditional Italian names for the first time, according to a study published on Wednesday.

The study by the Chamber of Commerce of Italy’s commercial capital found 1,595 Mohammeds in the list of companies for 2012, compared to 1,383 instances of business owners called Giuseppe.

In third place was Marco, with 1,131 small businesses registered by people with that name. Maria came in fourth with 1,095, while Ahmed got 615.

Milan has 34,278 companies — around 12 percent of the total — that are either foreign-owned or owned by people born abroad, the study said.